Arkansas native Joe Nichols is known for his traditional country lean. Nichols, who is part Cherokee, grew up with a truck-driving dad who played bass and sang in a local country band in his spare time. How's that for a good start? Hearing his father play the songs of Merle, Lefty, et al., it's no surprise Nichols ended up with a neo-trad bent to his own music. Known equally for his tender ballads and his lighthearted uptempo tunes, the man with the deep, velvety voice started a long string of hits in 2002 that continued even after he stopped recording for major labels.